3D Mapping of a Process Control Environment

ABSTRACT

In a method of mapping a real-world process control environment, a mobile device is registered at a reference location, and positions and orientations of the mobile device are tracked using an inertial measurement unit. A user input indicating that a new node is to be added to a 3D map of the process control environment is detected, and a 3D position of a real-world object relative to the reference location is determined, or caused to be determined, based on a tracked position and orientation of the mobile device. A node database is caused to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment, at least by causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be stored in association with the new node.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/036,358,filed on Jul. 16, 2018 and entitled “3D Mapping of a Process ControlEnvironment,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/564,074, filed on Sep. 27, 2017 and entitled“Augmented Reality Platform.” The disclosure of each of theabove-identified patent application is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to augmented realitytechnology, and, more particularly, to an augmented reality platformthat may be utilized in process control or other environments.

BACKGROUND

Augmented reality (AR) systems that provide for the overlay of digitalinformation (e.g., text, images, animation, etc.) on real-worldenvironments, are becoming increasingly common as new applications forthe technology are explored. AR systems typically provide informationthat is specific to the context of the user's current real-worldsurroundings. For such systems, real-world knowledge is generallyrequired, such as knowledge of physical things that are currently in auser's view, and the physical layout at and around the current locationof the user. To make this sort of information available to the ARsystem, a three-dimensional (3D) digital model representing the user'senvironment and the objects therein is typically created. The 3D modelmay then be augmented with particular types of data (e.g.,descriptions), graphics (e.g., icons), etc., relating to particularlocations and/or particular objects in the environment. When a userequipped with the appropriate AR gear moves through the mappedenvironment, the augmented portions can be rendered/displayed to theuser, by overlaying digital information on the user's real-world view(e.g., a real-time camera view, or as a heads up display (HUD) throughwhich the user observes the environment) without rendering/displayingthe rest of the 3D model.

Conventionally, 3D models of this sort are manually constructed by humandesigners, and/or using a 3D scanner. Both of these approaches, however,can be very time- and labor-intensive for applications involvingenvironments having complex layouts and/or a large number of objects.Moreover, any changes to the environment (e.g., as objects are moved orreplaced/updated within the environment) can require that the entiremodeling process be repeated, or other time- and labor-intensiveprocedures.

Current AR systems can suffer from other drawbacks as well. When used inrelatively dense environments (e.g., environments having multipleobjects that are in close proximity and/or have a large amount ofinformation to display in the AR view), for example, AR systems maysubject users to a vast amount of information that could easily lead tosensory overload, and/or the user may not easily perceive the context ofall the information. Moreover, some objects may be obscured within theAR view. For example, objects may be located within an enclosure, or mayreside at an inaccessible or inconvenient (e.g., distant) location.

SUMMARY

Techniques, systems, apparatuses, and methods for providing an augmentedreality experience are disclosed herein. Said techniques, systems,apparatuses, and methods may apply to industrial process controlsystems, environments, and/or plants, for example, which mayinterchangeably be referred to herein as “process control” or “process”systems, environments, and/or plants. Typically, such systems and plantsprovide control, in a distributed manner, of one or more processes thatoperate to manufacture, refine, or otherwise transform raw physicalmaterials to generate or produce products. In some embodiments, however,the techniques, systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein maybe used in other types of environments, and/or used in a context otherthan augmented reality (e.g., in a virtual reality (VR) context).

Generally, process control environments can give rise to many of thevarious difficulties, discussed above in the “Background” section, thatare associated with generating and using a conventional augmentedreality (AR) system or platform. For example, such environments oftencontain a large number of diverse objects (e.g., tanks, pumps, valves,motors, transmitters, etc.) that are in close proximity and/or areassociated with large amounts of information (e.g., sensor readings,diagnostic status, etc.). Moreover, those objects may be frequentlymoved or replaced.

An AR platform described herein may overcome or ameliorate some or allof these difficulties, and therefore may be well-suited for use inprocess control environments. With the AR platform, a three-dimensional(3D) model is generated by a user employing an AR mobile device. The ARmobile device may be an AR helmet, an AR head set, AR goggles, smartglasses, a smartphone, a tablet, or any other suitable type of mobiledevice that is capable of supporting location tracking (as discussedbelow) and can present an AR experience to a user.

The 3D model indicates 3D locations/positions of points of interest,within the process control environment, that correspond to differentreal-world objects (e.g., field devices, tanks, conveyors, controllers,switches, etc.). Objects that are added to the 3D model are referred toherein as “nodes” of the AR platform or system. As the term is usedherein, an “object” (also referred to as a “real-world object”) may beany physical thing (e.g., a device, component, equipment, structure,etc.), portion of a thing (e.g., an element of a device or component,etc.), or combination of things (e.g., a group of related devices orcomponents, etc.). In a process control environment, for example, anobject may be a field device (e.g., valve, pump, sensor, etc.), piece ofequipment (e.g., a conveyor, tank, etc.), process controller, switch,and so on.

In some implementations, when an AR application is launched on an ARmobile device (e.g., when specifically activated by the user, or upondevice power-up), the user “checks in” or registers the AR mobile deviceat some reference or “landmark” location. For example, the user may scana QR code, or another visual representation of a code/identifier, at thelandmark location with a camera of the AR mobile device. The act ofscanning the code may establish a starting location for the user/device(e.g., the coordinates {0,0,0} in an {x,y,z} space).

After registration, the user may begin to physically move through theprocess control environment with the AR mobile device. Suitablepositioning technology (e.g., provided by the user's AR mobile device)may be used to track the user's movement through the process plant.Because GPS or GNSS units may not function well in many process plantenvironments and cannot provide orientation data or accurate elevationdata (especially for process control environments that are indoors),other positioning and/or orientation technologies may be used. Forexample, the location of the AR mobile device relative to the landmarklocation, and the orientation of the AR mobile device (e.g., thedirection of a field of view of a camera of the AR mobile device, whichmay correspond to the direction the user is facing), may be trackedusing a fusion of inertial measurement unit (IMU) data (e.g., generatedby accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) and camera image data. In oneimplementation, for example, the Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO)technique developed by Qualcomm® is employed to track position andorientation.

When arriving at or near a real-world object that is to be added as anode, and while facing in the direction of the object (e.g., if wearingan AR helmet or goggles) or otherwise pointing the device camera at theobject (e.g., if the device is a tablet or smartphone), the user mayselect an option to add a new node. For example, the AR mobile devicemay recognize the voice command “add node” when spoken by the user, or(e.g., if the device is a tablet or smartphone) the AR mobile device mayallow the user to select an “Add Node” or similar option/control on agraphic user interface (GUI) of the AR mobile device display. The ARmobile device may then capture an image of the object, and process theimage to estimate a distance between the AR mobile device and theobject. Alternatively, other sensors (e.g., lidar, radar, etc.) may beused to determine the distance between the AR mobile device and theobject. The AR mobile device may then determine the position of theobject relative to the landmark location based on the current positionand orientation of the AR mobile device, as well as the distance betweenthe AR mobile device and the object. Alternatively, a remote server orother computing device/system may process image data captured by the ARmobile device to determine the object position relative to the landmarklocation.

The user may also specify the name or type of the new node (e.g., valve,pump, etc.) and/or other information (e.g., a model number or otheridentifier for the object, a short description of the object, etc.). Thespecified information may then be associated with the new node in aback-end database of the AR system. The back-end database may contain alibrary of nodes added by the user (and possibly other users as well),with associated 3D locations relative to the landmark location, tocollectively establish a virtual, 3D “map” of objects/assets in theprocess control environment. The database may also store other nodeinformation, such as lists of related and/or connected nodes, forexample.

After at least one object of interest in a particular process controlenvironment has been mapped (i.e., added to the node library using an ARmobile device), any users who register their AR mobile devices at thelandmark location (including the mapping user(s)) may take an augmentedtour of the process control environment. When a user with a registeredAR mobile device directs a field of view of a camera of the AR mobiledevice towards an area that includes a particular real-world object(e.g., if the user looks at the area while wearing an AR helmet orgoggles), and if the object is already associated with a node in thenode library, the AR mobile device may augment the real-world sceneobserved by the user with a node “marker” (e.g., text, an icon, agraphic, etc.) that appears to the user as if it were located at or nearthe coordinates of the object in the user's real-world view.

If the user selects a particular node (e.g., by focusing on the nodemarker, or issuing a voice command, etc.), the AR mobile device may makeone or more “node experiences” available to the user. For example, onenode experience may superimpose text (node name, description, etc.),tables, and/or graphics/icons on the real-world view of the user. Othernode experiences may superimpose web content from a particular URL(e.g., an instructional or “help” video), or may superimposevisualizations of physical or logical connections to, and/orrelationships with, other objects/nodes, for example. Still other nodeexperiences may include retrieving a work order associated with theobject/node, establishing a communication link between the user and anappropriate expert at a remote location, and so on. In someimplementations, at least one node experience launches (or links to) oneor more other software applications or systems, in the specific contextof the object that is being observed by the user. For example, the ARmobile device may superimpose sensor data, status, and/or virtualcontrols for a selected object/node (e.g., a field device) in the fieldof view, where the data is received from (and user inputs to thecontrols are transmitted to) a different application.

The experiences available to a user for a given node, the type ofcontent presented within a particular node experience, and/or, in someimplementations, whether any augmented information at all is availableto a particular user for a given node, may be determined based at leastin part on the user's “role.” For example, a particular user may use theAR mobile device to select an “operator” role, a “maintainer” role, oran “engineer” role, or may be pre-assigned such a role.

A number of other features may be provided to users as well. In someimplementations, for example, virtual “x-ray vision” may be provided tousers by creating hyper-realistic or pseudo-realistic 3D modelvisualizations that, when superimposed on the real-world view of theuser, may appear as if the user were seeing objects hidden withinenclosures (e.g., within a cabinet) or behind barriers. The AR mobiledevice may also present the user with (and/or enable the user to select)certain node experiences associated with hidden objects, such as viewingstatus data or alerts associated with the hidden objects, issuing voicecommands to control operation of the hidden objects, and so on.

As another example, the AR mobile device may superimpose an “avatar” ofa limited-access and/or distant object/node on the user's real-worldview. The object may be at the top of a high tower, for example, or in atoxic or high-voltage area, etc. As with the hidden objects, the usermay be provided with certain node experiences that provide various kindsof interactions with the limited-access and/or distant object. In boththe hidden object (“x-ray vision”) and the limited-access/distant objectimplementations/scenarios, users may be provided with an overallexperience that is quite similar to having the object/node be right infront of, and plainly visible to, the user while the user interacts withthe object.

Other types of functionality may also be supported by the AR platform.For example, current positions of users may trigger various alerts(e.g., a warning that the user is in a dangerous area) and/or or otherdisplays of information. As another example, current and/or historical3D positions of users within a process plant may be tracked/recorded forvarious purposes, such as ensuring employee evacuation in an emergencysituation, ensuring that employees are not injured or otherwise in needof medical help, or monitoring training of certain employees.

The AR platform described above and further below may provide a numberof advantages, depending on the specific implementation. By mapping onlythe relative 3D positions of certain objects, for example, the 3D modelmay be generated more easily and efficiently than with conventionalmeans (e.g., using a 3D scanner to map the environment). Likewise,updates or reconfigurations of objects within the process controlenvironment may be performed more quickly and easily. Moreover, by usingthe mapping process described herein, and by tracking the movement of ARmobile devices/users as described herein, the AR platform may determinewhen to provide augmented information to a user without requiring theexpense and/or time of retrofitting, or otherwise equipping, objectswith short-range communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth ornear-field communications (NFC) units), and without requiringtime-consuming actions by users navigating the environment (e.g.,scanning QR codes on objects, manual data entry of object identifiers,physically connecting to objects, etc.). Thus, conventional barriers tothe deployment of an AR system, particularly in a process controlenvironment, may be lessened or removed.

As another example, the AR platform may generally provide a marketplacein which third parties can offer new, customized types or classes of“node experiences” that correspond to different user interactions withobjects/nodes, and/or can offer new content for existing nodeexperiences. Instrumentation vendors or other entities may offersubscriptions to “help” information, or AR- or video-based workinstructions for particular objects, for example. In some embodiments, avirtual “app store” may allow customers to license various applications,and/or subscribe to specific types of content that are desired for acustomer's mobile workforce.

Furthermore, the features facilitating display/viewing of augmentedinformation for obscured, distant and/or limited-access nodes may save auser's time (and therefore costs) and, in some implementations and/orscenarios, may improve worker safety by avoiding the need to visitdangerous areas.

Still further, the AR platform architecture may be highly flexible. TheAR platform may facilitate the display of relevant information to userson a variety of different platforms, for example, such as smart helmets,smart goggles, smart phones, tablets, etc. The AR platform may alsofacilitate interactivity with a number of other software applications(e.g., process control software that is able to retrieve data indicativeof control logic, device readings, etc.), and/or allow new experiences,content, or other functionality to be easily provided.

As noted above, certain implementations and/or features described hereinneed not be used in an AR system, and/or need not be used in a processcontrol environment. For example, a user with a smartphone, tablet orother mobile device may be presented with “node experiences” based onthe mapped 3D positions of objects within a plant and the user's currentposition and orientation, without necessarily providing thoseexperiences as an AR display (e.g., using a virtual reality display orsimply a GUI). As another example, the techniques described herein maybe applied in environments other than process control environments, suchas in office spaces, warehouses, hospitals, and so on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an example augmented reality (AR)system, which provides an AR platform that may support various methods,techniques, functions and/or features described herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting components of an example processcontrol environment in which the AR system of FIG. 1 may be utilized.

FIG. 3 depicts an example three-dimensional (3D) map of nodes in aprocess control environment.

FIGS. 4A through 4H depict example user interfaces that may besuperimposed over a field of view provided by an AR mobile device.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict example elements of a database that may be usedin the AR platform.

FIG. 6 depicts an example embodiment and scenario in which a user of anAR mobile device is provided with virtual x-ray vision.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict example user interfaces that may be superimposedover a field of view provided by an AR mobile device, to provide virtualproximity between a user and an object that is distant from the user orotherwise difficult to access.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example method for mapping a real-worldprocess control environment using a mobile device.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an example method for providing virtualenhanced vision to a user of an AR mobile device in a real-world processcontrol environment.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an example method for facilitatinginteraction between a user of an AR mobile device and a real-worldobject that may be in a distant or limited-access area of a processcontrol environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Example Augmented Reality System

FIG. 1 depicts an example augmented reality (AR) system 10 that maygenerally provide an AR platform for providing an AR experience in anenvironment (e.g., a process control environment). The AR system 10includes an AR mobile device 12 of a user, and a back-end server 14 thatmay be communicatively coupled to the AR mobile device 12 via a network16. The AR mobile device 12 may be any computing device having suitableprocessing and sensing capabilities and capable of being worn orotherwise carried by a user. For example, the AR mobile device 12 may bea device specifically configured for AR, such as an AR helmet (e.g., theSmart Helmet® developed by DAQRI®) or AR goggles. Alternatively, the ARmobile device 12 may be a device that also has non-AR applications(e.g., a tablet, smartphone, smart glasses, smart watch, etc.), butexecutes a software application that configures the device 12 to have ARcapabilities. While FIG. 1 depicts only one AR mobile device 12, it isunderstood that a larger number of AR mobile devices, identical to ordifferent than the AR mobile device 12, may be used in the AR system 10in a similar manner.

The AR mobile device 12 is generally configured to provide an ARexperience to the user, by augmenting the user's real-world view withcontextual information (e.g., text, graphics, animations, etc.). Theback-end server 14 generally supports the AR experience for the user,and for the users of other AR mobile devices, by managing dataspecifying how a user's real-world view should be augmented inparticular situations, by receiving data from the AR mobile devicesindicating the current state and/or environment of the AR device and/oruser, and by providing data to the AR mobile devices as needed.

The network 16 includes one or more wireless networks, and possibly alsoone or more wired networks. In the example embodiment of FIG. 1, the ARplatform of the AR system 10 utilizes a cloud-based architecture, andthe network 16 includes the Internet. If the AR system 10 is utilizedindoors, the network 16 may also include wireless networks that do notrequire any direct communication with a remote tower or base station,such as an IEEE 802.11 or “WiFi” network. In other embodiments, however,the network 16 includes a cellular network (e.g., LTE, GSM, etc.). Asdiscussed further below, the AR system 10 may also include one or moreother servers 18 that are communicatively coupled to the back-end server14 and/or the AR mobile device 12, and collectively store and executeone or more applications 19.

As seen in the example embodiment of FIG. 1, the AR mobile device 12 mayinclude a network interface 20, a display 22, a camera 24, an inertialmeasurement unit (IMU) 26, and a memory 30 storing an AR application 32.The network interface 20 is configured to enable communications withremote computing devices and systems, including the back-end server 14,using a wireless communication protocol of at least a portion of thenetwork 16 (e.g., a WiFi or cellular network).

The display 22 may include hardware and associated firmware and/orsoftware configured according to any suitable type of digital displaytechnology. For example, the display 22 may use liquid crystal display(LCD) technology, light-emitting diode (LED) technology, organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) technology, and so on. The display 22 may begenerally transparent or translucent, or may be opaque. The structure orform factor of the display 22, and whether the display istransparent/translucent or opaque, generally depends on the type of theAR mobile device 12. If the AR mobile device 12 is a helmet, forexample, the display 22 may have the form of a visor, and may betranslucent such that any information displayed by the display 22 issuperimposed on the direct, real-world view of the user (i.e., a “headsup display” or “HUD”). Conversely, if the AR mobile device 12 is atablet or smartphone, the display 22 may have a conventional,rectangular form factor, and may only allow indirect views of thereal-world (e.g., as captured by the camera 24).

The camera 24 may be any suitable type of optical sensor, such as acharge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, for example. In alternativeembodiments, the camera 24 is instead, or also includes, a differenttype of imaging device, such as a light detection and ranging (lidar)sensor or radar sensor, for example. The IMU 26 may include one or moresensors (e.g., accelerometers and/or gyroscopes) that generate dataindicative of movement of the AR mobile device 12 in three dimensions.While not shown in FIG. 1, the AR mobile device may also have othercomponents, such as microphone and/or speaker.

The memory 30 storing the AR application 32 may be any suitable type ofpersistent memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM) in solid state orhard drive form, for example. The AR application 32 generallycoordinates the AR experience for the user of the AR mobile device 12,e.g., by generating the appropriate augmented information on the display22 and communicating with the back-end server 14 as needed. FIG. 1depicts a set of modules corresponding to example functions or featuresthat may be performed or provided by the AR application 32, including arole identification module 40, a registration module 42, a positioningand orientation module 44, a node experience module 46, a node creationmodule 48, a vision enhancement module 50, and a position-based alertmodule 52. Each of the modules 40-52 will be discussed further below inconnection with the operation of the AR system 10. In some embodiments,the AR application 32 includes fewer, more, and/or different modulesthan those shown in FIG. 1. For example, the AR application 32 mayinclude a voice recognition module for recognizing user voice commands.

Also in the example embodiment of FIG. 1, the back-end server 14includes a web services interface 60, an experience provisioning unit62, a 3D model generation unit 64, a vision enhancement unit 66, analert generation unit 68, and a user monitoring unit 70. Generally, theweb services interface 60 may provide an object-oriented web-basedinterface to an AR database 72 that is coupled to (or included within)the back-end server 14. In some embodiments, the web services interface60 provides an application programming interface (API) to remotedevices, such as the AR mobile device 12.

The AR database 72 generally stores information defining a 3D map of aparticular environment (e.g., by storing node identifiers, locations ofthe nodes within the 3D map relative to the landmark, and possibly otherinformation associated with the nodes), and is discussed in furtherdetail below (according to one particular embodiment) in connection withFIGS. 5A and 5B. The AR database 72 may be a single database or acollection of databases, and may be stored in a single physical memory,or distributed across multiple memories at one or more geographiclocations. One, some or all of the elements/units 60 through 70 may beimplemented as software instructions stored on persistent memory (e.g.,ROM). In other embodiments, the back-end server 14 includes fewer, more,and/or different elements/units than those shown in FIG. 1.

In operation, a user who is wearing or otherwise carrying the AR mobiledevice 12 may cause the AR mobile device 12 to launch the AR application32. The AR application 32 may be launched by manually selecting an iconon the display 22, issuing a voice command, or simply powering up the ARmobile device 12, for example.

In some embodiments, the role identification module 40 of the ARapplication 32 initially (e.g., upon launch) prompts the user toindicate a particular “role,” which may correspond to the user's jobposition, and/or may correspond to the particular task or tasks that theuser is trying to accomplish by using the AR system 10, for example. Inother embodiments, the user is first prompted to indicate his or herrole at a later time (e.g., after registering at a landmark, asdiscussed below). One example user interface that the roleidentification module 40 may superimpose over a real-world view seen onor through the display 22 (e.g., over image frames captured by thecamera 24, or the over the user's direct real-world view) is discussedbelow in connection with FIG. 4A. In an alternative embodiment, the roleidentification module 40 does not prompt the user to select a role, andinstead determines a pre-assigned role of the user based on anidentifier of the AR mobile device 12 and/or identification (e.g., name,employee number, etc.) entered or spoken by the user.

The selected or assigned user role may condition various aspects of theAR experience provided to the user, as discussed further below.Depending on the embodiment, the user role may be fixed once selected orassigned, or may be changed on the fly by a user as he or she movesthrough the environment. In some embodiments, the role identificationmodule 40 is not included in the AR application 32, and no user rolesare selected or assigned within the AR system 10.

Prior to mapping an environment, or prior to updating or exploring apreviously mapped environment, the user may, in some embodiments, needto register the AR mobile device 12 at a “landmark,” the location ofwhich is then used as a reference point for future movement of the ARmobile device 12 (and equivalently, the user). The same landmarklocation is also used as a reference point for the locations of anyobjects in the environment that have already been established (or willbe established) as nodes of the 3D map, thereby enabling a determinationof the position of the AR mobile device 12 relative to any mappedobjects. The landmark location may represent {0,0,0} in an {x,y,z}coordinate system, for example, or other coordinate systems (e.g., polarcoordinates) may be used.

To register the AR mobile device 12, the registration module 42 mayprocess one or more images/frames captured by the camera 24. Thelandmark may be a QR code, or any other suitable type of image or textthat is physically printed at the landmark location (e.g., on a wall ordoor near an entrance to an area within a process control plant), forexample. In some embodiments, the registration module 42 or anotherportion of the AR application 32 may superimpose a reticle within thereal-world view provided to the user (e.g., as discussed below inconnection with FIG. 4E), to help the user focus on the QR code, image,etc. In some embodiments, a different technology is used to recognizethe landmark, such as complementary Bluetooth or NFC communication unitsof the AR mobile device 12 and another device fixed at the landmarklocation.

In some embodiments, when the user registers the AR mobile device 24 ata particular landmark, the registration module 42 forwards dataindicative of an identifier of the landmark (e.g., by transmitting abinary representation of the QR code, or transmitting the image of theQR code prior to decoding the image) to the back-end server 14 via thenetwork 16 and web services interface 60. The back-end server 14 maythen compare the landmark identifier to landmark identifiers (if any)stored in the AR database 72. If the identifier is not already stored,the back-end server 14 may return a failure message to the registrationmodule via the web services interface 60 and the network 16 or, in someembodiments, may cause the AR database to create a new landmarkidentifier entry associated with a new 3D map. Conversely, if thelandmark identifier already exists in the AR database 72, the back-endserver 14 may make some or all of the corresponding 3D map (andassociated data) available to the AR mobile device 12, and return amessage indicating successful registration to the registration module 42via the web services interface 60 and the network 16.

The AR database 72 may store a number of different landmark identifierseach associated with a different 3D map, with each map being associatedwith a different library of nodes. Multiple maps may be associated witha same environment (e.g., by adding different objects within the singleenvironment as nodes of the different maps), and/or different maps maybe associated with different environments (e.g., one map for a firstarea of a process control plant, another map for a second area of theplant, etc.).

In some embodiments, successful registration of the AR mobile device 12at the landmark causes the positioning and orientation module 44 to setthe location of the AR mobile device 12 equal to the landmark location(e.g., {0,0,0}). For greater precision, however, the registration module42 may process the image of the landmark captured by the camera 24,using a depth sensing technique, to determine the distance between theAR mobile device 12 and the landmark. The positioning and orientationmodule 44 may then offset the starting position of the AR mobile device12 from the known/reference position of the landmark based on both thedetermined distance from the landmark and the orientation of the ARmobile device 12 relative to the landmark. If the landmark is a QR codeor other visual identifier, the relative orientation of the AR mobiledevice 12 may be assumed based on the direction the landmark is facing.Alternatively, the relative orientation may be determined from thecaptured image (e.g., by determining an angle of incidence of the cameraview relative to the landmark, etc.).

Once registered, the user of the AR mobile device 12 may begin to movethrough the environment, with a real-world view (provided via thedisplay 22) that is generally augmented by digital text, tables,graphics, animations, and/or other types of information associated withthe 3D map corresponding to the landmark. To track the position andorientation of the user (i.e., of the AR mobile device 12), thepositioning and orientation module 44 may access the IMU 26, the camera24, and/or one or more other sensors of the AR mobile device 12 notshown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the positioning and orientationmodule 44 uses the collected sensor data to determine positions andorientations without relying on GPS, GNSS, WiFi positioning (e.g.,trilateration), or any other positioning technologies that require acommunication link between the AR mobile device 12 and other devices orsystems. “Position” or “location” may refer to a particular set ofcoordinates in a 3D coordinate system (e.g., Cartesian or polar), and“orientation” may refer to a particular direction (e.g., in a 360 degreehorizontal/azimuthal range, plus elevation or altitude). In someembodiments, “orientation” may further refer to the tilt of the ARmobile device 12, independent of the direction the device 12 is facing.Because only relative positions are tracked (e.g., in a “dead reckoning”sense), the positioning and orientation module 44 determines AR mobiledevice/user positions relative to the location of the landmark whereregistration occurred.

In some embodiments, the positioning and orientation module 44 processesa fusion of data from at least the camera 24 and IMU 26, to helpovercome deficiencies associated with either type of sensor when used inisolation. For example, the positioning and orientation module 44 mayutilize the Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) technology developed byQualcomm® to track position and orientation of the AR mobile device 12.Such technology may help to improve accuracy, reduce “drift” indetermined positions, and/or have other advantages.

Because the position and orientation of the camera 24 relative to the ARmobile device 12 itself is known, the AR application 32 can determinethe field of view of the AR mobile device 12 (which may also, in someembodiments, correspond to the real-world view of the user) for anygiven position and orientation determined by the positioning andorientation module 44. Based on the determined position and orientation,and using the node locations stored in the AR database 72 for the 3Dmap, the AR application 32 may therefore determine which mapped objectsare within the field of view at any given time. In some embodiments, anobject may be considered to be “within the field of view” of a camera ifthe object is within the horizontal and vertical range/extent of thecamera sensor (e.g., within certain azimuthal andvertical/altitude/elevation angles), regardless of the distance betweenthe object and the AR mobile device capturing the images, and regardlessof whether the object happens to be blocked by obstacles in theenvironment. For example, an object directly and immediately in front ofthe camera 24 may be considered “within the field of view” of the camera24, even if the object is shielded by an enclosure, barrier, otherobject, etc. In other embodiments, an object is only considered to be“within the field of view” of the camera if the object is not obscured,i.e., while the camera is able to capture images of the object.

To determine the positions of mapped objects, the AR application 32 mayperiodically access node locations in the AR database via the network 16and web services interface 60. For example, the AR application 32 mayperiodically request that the back-end server 14 provide location datafor nodes within a threshold distance of the AR mobile device 12 (and/orwithin the field of view of the device 12, etc.), with the requestindicating the current position (and/or orientation) of the AR mobiledevice 12. Alternatively, the AR application 32 may request that theback-end server 14 send all node locations (and possibly otherinformation, such as node descriptions, etc.) for the 3D map that isassociated with the landmark used for registration, e.g., at the time ofregistration. In still other embodiments, the back-end server 14 mayautomatically send all relevant node locations when the AR mobile device12 successfully registers at the landmark.

The AR application 32 may determine that augmentation should be providedfor one, more than one, or none of the mapped objects/nodes in theuser's current field of view. To make this determination, the nodeexperience module 46 may apply one or more criteria. In someembodiments, for example, the node experience module 46 may determinethat augmentation is to be provided for all mapped objects in the user'scurrent field of view, regardless of the distance between the object andthe user and regardless of whether the object is blocked from the user'sview by any obstacles. Alternatively, the node experience module 46 maydetermine that augmentation is not to be provided for mapped objectsthat are in the field of view but more than a threshold distance awayfrom the user (e.g., as determined from the current user positiondetermined by the positioning and orientation module 44, and from thecorresponding node location stored in the AR database 72).

The node experience module 46 may also, or instead, determine thataugmentation is not to be provided for mapped objects that are in thefield of view of the AR mobile device 12 but blocked from sight. Whethermapped objects are obscured may be determined in different ways,depending on the embodiment. For example, a field in the AR database 72may indicate whether a particular node corresponds to an object thatwould generally be obscured. For instance, for a component that isenclosed within a cabinet, the corresponding node have a fieldindicating the relationship between the component and the cabinet. Inother embodiments, the AR application 32 and/or the back-end server 14may perform a more complex analysis of node configurations, node types,and/or node sizes to determine whether, from the user's currentperspective, a particular mapped object would likely be visible.

In some embodiments, to reduce the danger of sensory overload for theuser, augmentation is not provided for certain types of mapped objectsunless the user takes some specific action (beyond simply moving and/orre-orienting the AR mobile device 12). For example, the node experiencemodule 46 may not provide augmentation for a large number of relativelysmall components within a cabinet, each corresponding to a differentmapped object, unless the user selects an icon or other graphicrepresentation of the cabinet, and/or selects an option to show cabinetcontents, etc.

Further, in some embodiments, the node experience module 46 maydetermine whether augmentation is to be provided for a particular mappedobject in the user's field of view based on the user's role, asdetermined by the role identification module 40. Thus, the nodeexperience module 46 may query web services interface 60 specificallyfor nodes that are associated with both the landmark and the selected orassigned role. In a process control environment, for example, a powerswitch may be augmented for a user having a “maintainer” role, but notfor a user having an “operator” role.

For objects that are to be augmented, the node experience module 46 mayinitially superimpose a node “marker,” such as text (e.g., a deviceidentifier, status and/or description) and/or an icon or other graphic,etc., on an area of the display 22 that appears to the user as if itwere located at (or near) the coordinates of the object in the user'sreal-world view. The marker may appear to be connected to the mappedobject in the real-world view by a line rendered on the display 22, forexample. In other embodiments, the marker is a circle or other shaperendered over the object, a rectangular outline roughly enclosing theobject, or some other type of indicator.

If the user selects a particular node (e.g., by focusing a virtualreticle on the node marker, or by issuing a voice command, etc.), thenode experience module 46 may make one or more “node experiences”available to the user. A “node experience”—in contrast to the moregeneral “AR experience” of a properly equipped user moving through amapped environment—refers to a particular type or types of userinteraction with the object/node. The node experience module 46 mayprovide the user with the option of selecting specific node experiencesby superimposing a menu or other interactive display on the real-worldview, for example, and/or by being configured to recognize voicecommands from the user. A user may select menu options in a mannersimilar to selecting node markers (e.g., focusing a virtual reticle onthe option, voice command, etc.), or in another suitable manner.

When a specific node experience is selected, the node experience module46 may forward the selection to the web services interface 60 via thenetwork 16. In response, the experience provisioning unit 62 mayretrieve data (e.g., text, graphics, etc.) associated with the selectednode and the selected experience from the AR database 72 (and/or otherlocations, such as server(s) 18), and send the retrieved data back tothe AR mobile device 12 via the web services interface 60 to enable thenode experience module 46 to augment the user's real-world viewaccordingly.

A node experience may be relatively simple, or complex. The node markeritself may be considered a default “node experience,” for example. Asother examples, the node experience module 46 may superimpose other textand/or tables (i.e., information associated with the correspondingobject) on the user's real world view (via display 22), a simple graphicor icon of the object, a hyper-realistic or pseudo-realistic 3D model ofthe object, an image of the object, an animation including the object(e.g., a rotating 3D model of the object), and so on.

Node experiences may also, or instead, include other types ofinteractivity. For example, the node experience module 46 maysuperimpose a link (e.g., a URL) to a video that provides a tutorial onthe object and/or its operation within the environment (e.g., within aparticular process control routine), to a work order that involves theobject, or to a remote expert. Alternatively, or in addition, the usermay issue voice commands for some or all of these node experiences. Inan embodiment where content such as a video or work order is selected orcalled, the node experience module 46 may superimpose the content on theuser's real-world view. If a remote expert or other person is selectedor called, the node experience module 46 may cause the network interface20, or another suitable network interface, to establish a communicationlink with the person (e.g., via the network 16), and in some embodimentsmay superimpose a still image or video of the person until thecommunication ends.

Other node experiences may list and/or graphically depict particulartypes of relationships between the selected object/node and otherobjects/nodes. For one node experience, for example, the node experiencemodule 46 may superimpose a list of objects/nodes related to theselected object/node (e.g., parent and/or child objects/nodes) over theuser's real-world view. A “relationship” may be defined in any waydesired, and may be manually set by a user when adding a new node, orset in another suitable manner. For example, some relationships mayrefer to whether an object is a component of another object, and/oritself includes a number of components. A valve may correspond to a nodethat is a parent to a group of nodes each corresponding to components ofthe valve, for instance.

The node experience module 46 may determine relationships by queryingthe experience provisioning unit 62 via web services interface 60, withthe experience provisioning unit 62 retrieving identifiers of therelated nodes from the AR database 72 and providing an indication ofthose nodes to the node experience module 46. By not showing, bydefault, node markers and/or node experiences for all of the individualvalve components (e.g., unless a node or a particular option isspecifically selected by the user), the user may be spared fromreceiving an overwhelming amount of visual information all at once.

Some kinds of relationships may be graphically depicted to the user. Forexample, the node experience module 46 may provide a graphical depictionof a physical or logical connection between the object corresponding tothe selected node and one or more other objects corresponding to othernodes. The node experience module 46 may determine connections byquerying the experience provisioning unit 62 via web services interface60, with the experience provisioning unit 62 retrieving identifiers ofthe connected nodes from the AR database 72 and providing an indicationof those nodes to the node experience module 46. The node experiencemodule 46 may then generate a display depicting lines connected theappropriate objects, and superimpose the lines on the user's real-worldview. One example of such a node experience is provided in FIG. 4H,discussed below.

The connections and/or other relationships shown may also vary based onthe user's selected or assigned role. In a process control environment,for example, an “operator” may be shown a line from a sensor/transmitterdevice to a tank, with the line indicating that the sensor/transmittermeasures the pressure in the tank. Conversely, an “engineer” may instead(or additionally) be shown a line from the sensor/transmitter to anotherdevice that receives the sensor transmissions, and a “maintainer” mayinstead (or additionally) be shown a line from the sensor/transmitter toa power source for the device (e.g., so the maintainer can easily findwhere to shut down power before maintaining, repairing or replacing thedevice).

In some embodiments, the experience provisioning unit 62 utilizes dataand/or functionality from other server(s) 18 and/or application(s) 19 inorder to provide one or more node experiences, and/or one or more of theapplication(s) 19 may be launched in response to data sent from theexperience provisioning unit 62. Some examples of such embodiments, in aprocess control environment, are discussed below in connection with FIG.2.

As noted above, the node experience module 46 may determine whether toaugment the user's real-world view of a particular mapped object basedon the user's selected or assigned role (e.g., operator, maintainer,etc.). In addition, or alternatively, the types of node experiences,and/or the content or interactivity provided by a particular experience,may vary based on the user role. For example, a user having a role of“maintainer,” and having a pump in his or her real-world view, may bepresented with a node experience showing a scheduled maintenancereminder for the pump, while a user having a role of “operator” or“engineer” may instead be presented with information relating to logicalconnections of the pump within a process control routine. The maintainermay be shown an alert if the scheduled maintenance is overdue, while theoperator or engineer may only be shown an alert in other scenarios(e.g., if the pump fails).

The node creation module 48 supports the addition of new nodes withinthe 3D map corresponding to the landmark used to register the AR mobiledevice 12. In some embodiments, any user can add new nodes to a 3D map.In other embodiments, only certain user roles, and/or only certain ARdevices, can be used to add new nodes. To add a new node, a user maydirect the field of view of the AR mobile device 12 (e.g., a reticlecentered within the field of view) to a real-world object that is to bemapped, and select an option to add the object as a new node.

This may be accomplished in different ways, depending on the embodiment.For example, the user may select a superimposed menu item (e.g., avirtual “Add Node” button), or issue a voice command, and the nodecreation module 48 may superimpose a reticle on the user's real-worldview in response. While aiming the reticle at the object, the user mayactivate another control (e.g., a virtual “Confirm” button) or issue asecond voice command. In response, the node creation module 48 maydetermine a position of the object, and prompt the user to enter a nodename and/or description. The node creation module 48 may then send theposition, the entered or spoken name, etc., to the web servicesinterface 60 via the network 16, and the 3D model generation unit 64 mayadd at least the position and a node identifier (e.g., the node nameentered or spoken by the user) to the AR database 72.

To determine the position of the object being mapped, the node creationmodule 48 may utilize the current position of the AR mobile device 12(as determined by the position and orientation module 44), and offsetthat position based on both the distance between the AR mobile device 12and the object, and the orientation of the AR mobile device 12. This maybe accomplished in a manner similar to determining the initial 3Dposition of the AR mobile device 12 when registering at the landmark, asdescribed above. For example, the node creation module 48 may processthe image of the object captured by the camera 24, using a depth sensingtechnique, to determine the distance between the AR mobile device 12 andthe object. The positioning and orientation module 44 may then offsetthe object position from the position of the AR mobile device 12 basedon both the determined distance and the orientation of the AR mobiledevice 12 (e.g., based on the distance and the direction that the fieldof view of the AR mobile device 12 was facing when the image of theobject was captured).

In some embodiments, the node creation module 48 may also be used toupdate/modify existing nodes. For example, a menu that is provided bythe node experience module 46 may include an option for updating nodeinformation. If selected, the node creation module 48 may superimposeone or more menus or other user interfaces on the user's real-worldview, to enable the user to change information pertaining to the node(e.g., node name, node description, etc.). Any changes may be sent toweb services interface 60 via the network 16, and the 3D modelgeneration unit 64 may update the AR database 72 accordingly.

In some embodiments, the AR application 32 configures the AR mobiledevice 12 to enhance the virtual vision of the user, beyond theaugmentation features described above. For example, for certain types ofnodes, the vision enhancement module 50 may determine when a mappedobject is within an area captured by the user's current field of view(e.g., as discussed above for the node experience module 46), butobscured by one or more other objects, and provide virtual “x-rayvision” to the user. The virtual x-ray vision may only be provided ifone or more other criteria is/are established (e.g., if the visionenhancement module 50 determines that the hidden object(s) is/are withina threshold distance of the AR mobile device 12), or may be providedregardless of any other criteria.

In one such embodiment, the AR database 72 includes, for each of atleast some of the node entries, a flag or other visibility indicatorindicating that the node is likely hidden from any user's view. Thisvisibility indicator may have been generated automatically based on aknown relation of objects (e.g., if the 3D model generation unit 64accesses a control system to learn that the object corresponding to thenode is positioned within a cabinet), or may have been manually set by auser (e.g., when adding the node, via a user interface that the nodecreation module 48 superimposes on the real-world view of the user).When a particular mapped object is within the user's field of view, thevision enhancement module 50 may query the vision enhancement unit 66 ofthe back-end server 14, via the network 16 and web services interface60, and the vision enhancement unit 66 may in turn access the ARdatabase 72 to retrieve the relevant visibility indicator. The visionenhancement unit 66 may then use web services interface 60 to send thevisibility indicator, or other data indicating whether the object isobscured, to the vision enhancement module 50.

Alternatively, the vision enhancement module 50 and/or visionenhancement unit 66 may make the visibility determination in other ways.For example, a particular mapped object or set of objects may be insidea cabinet that is marked with a model number, QR code, or other visualindicator. The vision enhancement module 50 may process an image of thevisual indicator that is captured by the camera 24 to determine anidentifier (e.g., node identifier) of the cabinet, and send theidentifier to the vision enhancement unit 66 via web services interface60. The vision enhancement unit 66 may then use the identifier todetermine which mapped objects (e.g., field devices, I/O cards, etc.)are within the cabinet, and send back data indicating that the objectsthat are within the cabinet are obscured.

To provide the effect of virtual x-ray vision for a given object, thevision enhancement module 50 may retrieve a hyper-realistic orpseudo-realistic 2D or 3D model of the object, or a digital image orvideo of the object, and superimpose that model, image, or video overthe object (or near the object) in the user's field of view. Either bydefault, or in response to a user selection of the 2D or 3D model, orvoice command, etc., the node experience module 46 may also providevisual menu options or voice command recognition to enable the user toselect various experiences for the node, as described above. Thus, theuser may interact with the hidden object in a manner that appears and“feels” very similar to interacting with the real-world object while itis directly in his or her field of view.

The vision enhancement module 50 may also, or instead, enhance a user'svirtual vision in other ways. If an object is in a limited-access and/ordangerous area (e.g., in a very high location, a barricaded location, ahigh-voltage or toxic area, etc.), and/or far away from the user, forexample, the vision enhancement module 50 may enable the user toretrieve an “avatar” that represents the object into his or her field ofview. The avatar may be the same as the 2D or 3D model, image, video,etc., described above for the x-ray vision example, or may differ insome respects. Indeed, in some embodiments, virtual x-ray vision issimply one of multiple use cases for summoning an avatar of a real-worldobject.

An avatar may be summoned in different ways, depending on the embodimentand/or the scenario. In some embodiments, the vision enhancement module50 first superimposes a visual indicator on the user's real-world view,if certain criteria are satisfied, with the visual indicator giving someindication of the corresponding object's location relative to the user'sreal-world view. For example, the visual indicator may be presented ifboth (1) the AR mobile device 12 is within some threshold distance ofthe object, and (2) the node is flagged as a limited-access object. TheAR database 72 may store data indicating such a status, for example(e.g., based on a manual user input when the node was added by a user),or the status may be inferred (e.g., if the vision enhancement unit 66determines the object is in a region that the back-end server 14 hasflagged as a “danger” region, or if the vision enhancement module 50 orvision enhancement unit 66 determines the position of the object is atleast a threshold distance from the AR mobile device 12 in thez-direction and thus at a very different elevation, etc.). The visualindicator may include an arrow pointing in the direction of the object,a line leading to the object, or some other indication of location. Oneexample of a visual indicator is discussed below in connection with FIG.7A. If the user selects the indicator or takes another suitable action(e.g., in some embodiments, if the user changes his or her field of viewto include the object), the vision enhancement module 50 may superimposethe avatar on the user's real-world view.

In other embodiments, the indicator of the object's location includesthe avatar itself (e.g., with an arrow/pointer to the object locationoverlying or near the avatar). In still other embodiments and/orscenarios, the vision enhancement module 50 superimposes the avatar onthe user's field of view without presenting any visual indicator of theobject's location. For example, the vision enhancement module 50 maypresent the avatar to the user in response to the user requesting orsearching for the corresponding object (e.g., by issuing a voice commandor manually entering data), or in response to the user selecting a nodemarker for a relatively distant object (e.g., more than some thresholddistance away), etc. In one such embodiment, the avatar does notinstantly appear at full size. For instance, the vision enhancementmodule 50 may create a visual effect in which the avatar appears to theuser as if it moves from the object location (e.g., far ahead of theuser) to a position just in front of the user. The avatar may expand insize to simulate the effect of drawing nearer to the user, for example.

The node experience module 46 may automatically provide a particularnode experience for the object to the user (in addition to showing theobject's avatar), and/or may enable the user to select one or more nodeexperiences after the avatar is first presented (e.g., by issuing avoice command or selecting menu options). For example, any one or moreof the node experiences discussed above may be provided. One example ofan experience that may be associated with an avatar is discussed belowin connection with FIG. 7B.

In some embodiments, the AR application 32 configures the AR mobiledevice 12 to generate alerts based on the user's current position and/orbased on current circumstances in particular areas (e.g., certainregions of a process plant being associated with a warning). The alertgeneration unit 68 may periodically or continuously determine whetherthe current position of the AR mobile device 12 is in an area subject toan alert or warning, e.g., by comparing positions reported by thepositioning and orientation module 44 (via web services interface 60) tothe boundaries of one or more geo-fenced areas. If the user/device is inan area associated with an alert, the alert generation unit 68 may sendan indicator of the alert to the position-based alert module 52 via webservices interface 60, and the position-based alert module 52 maysuperimpose an indication of the alert (e.g., text and/or a graphic) onthe user's real-world view, cause some other visual effect (e.g., aflashing red light or tint encompassing the entire real-world view),and/or provide an audio alert to the user (via a speaker of the ARmobile device 12, not shown in FIG. 1). Alternatively, or additionally,the alert generation unit 68 may send an alert indicator based on theproximity of the AR mobile device 12 to a particular mapped object(e.g., if the object is malfunctioning and needs maintenance, or shouldbe avoided, etc.). The alert generation unit 68 may also condition thedelivery of alerts on the user's selected or assigned role.

In some embodiments, the back-end server 14 may monitor the 3D locationsof AR mobile devices (and thus, users) in the mapped environment. Tothis end, the user monitoring unit 70 may record current and/orhistorical positions of users who have registered their AR mobiledevices at a landmark, based on data received from the positioning andorientation module 44 via web services interface 60.

User location monitoring may be used for various purposes, depending onthe embodiment and/or the need. For example, the user monitoring unit 70may depict user locations on a display or terminal coupled to theback-end server 14 (and not shown in FIG. 1), and an operator of thedisplay or terminal may account for employee locations in the event ofan emergency, or simply monitor users in more typical conditions todetermine whether any employees are in need of medical aid. Employeehealth may also be monitored using other data, such as biometric datacollected by one or more sensors of the AR mobile device 12 (e.g., todetect pulse, blood pressure, temperature, etc.). As further examples,employee/user locations may be added to employee training logs, used bymanagers or human resources personnel to monitor compliance withprotocols, and so on. In still other embodiments and/or scenarios, 3Dlocations of certain non-human mobile assets may be tracked within themapped environment. For example, a unit of the back-end server 14 maymonitor 3D locations of mobile reactors, carts, field service trucks,and/or other objects for various purposes.

It is understood that FIG. 1 and the above description represent onlysome potential embodiments, and that others are possible as well. Forexample, the AR platform may not use a cloud-based architecture orweb-based services. As another example, the functionality of some or allof the units 62 through 68 of the back-end server 14, and/or the ARdatabase 72 itself, may instead be partially or wholly incorporated intothe AR mobile device 12. As yet another example, node markers and/ornode experiences may be provided in a non-AR context, e.g., in a virtualreality (VR) context, or in connection with non-AR, non-VR graphicaluser interfaces (GUIs).

Moreover, the AR platform may provide still other features not discussedabove. For example, users of AR mobile devices may add field notes(e.g., using voice commands) that are stored in association with variousnodes/objects in the AR database 72, and/or may initiate new work ordersassociated with various nodes/objects, and so on.

Example Process Control Environment

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example process control environment 100in which the AR system 10 of FIG. 1 may be utilized. The process controlenvironment 100 (which is also interchangeably referred to herein as aprocess control system 100 or process plant 100) includes one or moreprocess controllers that receive signals indicative of processmeasurements made by field devices, process this information toimplement a control routine, and generate control signals that are sentover wired and/or wireless process control communication links ornetworks to other field devices to control the operation of a process inthe plant 100. Typically, at least one field device performs a physicalfunction (e.g., opening or closing a valve, causing a conveyor to movematerials, increasing or decreasing a temperature, taking a measurement,sensing a condition, etc.) to control the operation of a process. Sometypes of field devices communicate with controllers by using I/Odevices. Process controllers, field devices, and I/O devices may bewired or wireless, and any number and combination of wired and wirelessprocess controllers, field devices, and I/O devices may be included inthe process plant environment or system 100.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a process controller 111 that iscommunicatively connected to wired field devices 115-122 viainput/output (I/O) cards 126 and 128. The process controller 111includes a processor 130, a memory 132, and one or more process controlroutines 138 that are discussed in further detail below. The controller111 is also communicatively connected to wireless field devices 140-146via a process control communication network or backbone 110 and awireless gateway 135. The backbone 110 may include one or more wiredand/or wireless communication links, and may be implemented using anysuitable communication protocol such as, for example, an Ethernetprotocol. In some configurations (not shown in FIG. 2), the controller111 may be communicatively connected to the wireless gateway 135 usingone or more communications networks other than the backbone 110, such asby using any number of other wired or wireless communication links thatsupport one or more communication protocols, e.g., an IEEE802.11-compliant wireless local area network protocol, a mobilecommunication protocol (e.g., WiMAX, LTE, etc.), Bluetooth®, HART®,WirelessHART®, Profibus, FOUNDATION® Fieldbus, etc.

The controller 111 (which, by way of example, may be the DeltaV™controller sold by Emerson Process Management) may operate to implementa batch process or a continuous process using at least some of the fielddevices 115-122 and 140-146. In an embodiment, in addition to beingcommunicatively connected to the backbone 110, the controller 111 isalso communicatively connected to at least some of the field devices115-122 and 140-146 using any desired hardware and software associatedwith, for example, standard 4-20 mA devices, I/O cards 126, 128, and/orany suitable smart communication protocol such as the FOUNDATION®Fieldbus protocol, the HART® protocol, the WirelessHART® protocol, etc.In FIG. 2, the controller 111, the field devices 115-122 and the I/Ocards 126, 128 are wired devices, and the field devices 140-146 arewireless field devices. Of course, the wired field devices 115-122 andwireless field devices 140-146 could conform to any other desiredstandard(s) or protocols, such as any suitable wired or wirelessprotocols, and including any suitable standards or protocols developedin the future.

The processor 130 of process controller 111 implements or oversees theone or more process control routines or modules 138, which may be storedin the memory 132. To this end, the processor 130 is configured tocommunicate with the field devices 115-122 and 140-146, and with othernodes that are communicatively connected to the controller 111. Itshould be noted that any control routines or modules described hereinmay have parts thereof implemented or executed by different controllersor other devices if so desired. Likewise, the control modules 138 to beimplemented within the process control system 100 may take any form,including software, firmware, hardware, etc. Control routines may beimplemented in any desired software format, such as using objectoriented programming, ladder logic, sequential function charts, functionblock diagrams, or using any other software programming language ordesign paradigm. The memory 132, on which some or all of the controlmodules 138 may be stored, may be any suitable type of memory ormemories, such as random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory(ROM). Moreover, the control modules 138 may be hard-coded into, forexample, one or more EPROMs, EEPROMs, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), or any other hardware or firmware elements. Thus, thecontroller 111 may be configured in any desired manner to implement acontrol strategy or control routine/module.

The controller 111 implements a control strategy using what are commonlyreferred to as function blocks, where each function block is an objector other part (e.g., a subroutine) of an overall control routine andoperates in conjunction with other function blocks (via communicationscalled links) to implement process control loops within the processcontrol system 100. Control-based function blocks typically perform oneof an input function, such as that associated with a transmitter, asensor or other process parameter measurement device; a controlfunction, such as that associated with a control routine that performsPID, fuzzy logic, etc. control; or an output function which controls theoperation of some device, such as a valve or conveyor motor, to performsome physical function within the process control system 100. Of course,hybrid and other types of function blocks exist. Function blocks may bestored in and executed by the controller 111, which is typically thecase when these function blocks are used for, or are associated with,standard 4-20 mA devices and certain types of smart field devices (e.g.,HART® devices), or may be stored in and implemented by the field devicesthemselves, which can be the case with FOUNDATION® Fieldbus devices. Theone or more control modules 138 in the controller 111 may implement oneor more control loops which are performed by executing one or more ofthe function blocks.

The wired field devices 115-122 may be any type or types of devices,such as sensors, valves, conveyor motors, transmitters, positioners,etc., while the I/O cards 126 and 128 may be any types of I/O devicesconforming to a suitable communication or controller protocol. Forexample, the field devices 115-118 may be standard 4-20 mA devices orHART® devices that communicate over analog lines (or combined analog anddigital lines) to the I/O card 126, while the field devices 119-122 maybe smart devices, such as FOUNDATION® Fieldbus field devices, thatcommunicate over a digital bus to the I/O card 128 using a FOUNDATION®Fieldbus communications protocol. In some embodiments, though, at leastsome of the wired field devices 115-122, and/or at least one of the I/Ocards 126, 128, additionally or alternatively communicate(s) with thecontroller 111 using the backbone 110 and a suitable control systemprotocol (e.g., Profibus, DeviceNet, Foundation Fieldbus, ControlNet,Modbus, HART, etc.).

In FIG. 2, the wireless field devices 140-146 communicate via a wirelessprocess control communication network 170 using a wireless protocol,such as the WirelessHART® protocol. Such wireless field devices 140-146may directly communicate with one or more other devices or nodes of thewireless network 170 that are also configured to communicate wirelessly.To communicate with other nodes that are not configured to communicatewirelessly, the wireless field devices 140-146 may utilize a wirelessgateway 135 connected to the backbone 110 or another process controlcommunications network. The wireless gateway 135 provides access, fromthe backbone 110, to various wireless devices 140-158 of the wirelesscommunications network 170. In particular, the wireless gateway 135provides communicative coupling between the wireless devices 140-158,the wired devices 115-122, and/or other nodes or devices of the processcontrol plant 100.

Similar to the wired field devices 115-122, the wireless field devices140-146 of the wireless network 170 perform physical control functionswithin the process plant 100, e.g., opening or closing valves, takingmeasurements of process parameters, etc. The wireless field devices140-146, however, are configured to communicate using the wirelessprotocol of the network 170. As such, the wireless field devices140-146, the wireless gateway 135, and other wireless nodes 152-158 ofthe wireless network 170 may be producers and consumers of wirelesscommunication packets.

In some configurations of the process plant 100, the wireless network170 includes non-wireless devices. For example, in FIG. 2, a fielddevice 148 may be a legacy 4-20 mA device and a field device 150 may bea wired HART® device. To communicate within the network 170, the fielddevices 148 and 150 are connected to the wireless communications network170 via a respective one of wireless adaptors 152A, 152B. The wirelessadaptors 152A, 152B support a wireless protocol, such as WirelessHART,and may also support one or more other communication protocols such asFoundation® Fieldbus, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, etc. Additionally, in someconfigurations, the wireless network 170 includes one or more networkaccess points 155A, 155B, which may be separate physical devices inwired communication with the wireless gateway 135, or may be integratedwithin the wireless gateway 135. The wireless network 170 may alsoinclude one or more routers 158 to forward packets from between wirelessdevices within the wireless communications network 170. The wirelessdevices 140-146 and 152-158 may communicate with each other, and withthe wireless gateway 135, over wireless links 160 of the wirelesscommunications network 170, and/or via the backbone 110.

In FIG. 2, the process control system 100 includes one or more operatorworkstations 171 that are communicatively connected to the backbone 110.Via the operator workstation(s) 171, human operators may monitorrun-time operations of the process plant 100, as well as take anydiagnostic, corrective, maintenance, and/or other actions that may berequired. At least some of the operator workstations 171 may be locatedat various, protected areas in or near the plant 100, e.g., in aback-end environment of the plant 100, and in some situations, at leastsome of the operator workstations 171 may be remotely located (butnonetheless in communicative connection with the plant 100). Operatorworkstation(s) 171 may be wired or wireless computing devices.

The example process control system 100 is further illustrated in FIG. 2as including one or more configuration applications 172A and one or moreconfiguration databases 172B, each of which is also communicativelyconnected to the backbone 110. Various instances of the configurationapplication(s) 172A may execute on one or more computing devices (notshown in FIG. 2) to enable users to create or change process controlmodules and download these modules via the backbone 110 to the processcontroller 111 and/or other process controllers, as well as enable usersto create or change operator interfaces via which an operator is able toview data and change data settings within process control routines. Theconfiguration database(s) 172B store(s) the configured modules and/oroperator interfaces. Generally, the configuration application(s) 172Aand configuration database(s) 172B may be centralized and have a unitarylogical appearance to the process control system 100 (although multipleinstances of a configuration application 172A may execute simultaneouslywithin the process control system 100), and the configurationdatabase(s) 172B may be stored in a single physical data storage deviceor across multiple data storage devices. The configurationapplication(s) 172A, the configuration database(s) 172B, and userinterfaces thereto (not shown in FIG. 2) collectively form aconfiguration or development system 172 for creating/configuring controland/or display modules. Typically, but not necessarily, the userinterfaces for the configuration system 172 are different than theoperator workstations 171, with the user interfaces for theconfiguration system 172 instead being utilized by configuration anddevelopment engineers irrespective of whether the plant 100 is operatingin real-time, and with the operator workstations 171 being utilized byoperators during real-time (or “run-time”) operations of the processplant 100.

The example process control system 100 also includes one or more datahistorian application(s) 173A and one or more data historian database(s)173B, each of which is communicatively connected to the backbone 110.The data historian application(s) 173A operate(s) to collect some or allof the data provided across the backbone 110, and to store the data inthe data historian database(s) 173B for long term storage. Similar tothe configuration application(s) 172A and configuration database(s)172B, the data historian application(s) 173A and data historiandatabase(s) 173B may be centralized and have a unitary logicalappearance to the process control system 100 (although multipleinstances of a data historian application 173A may executesimultaneously within the process control system 100), and the datahistorian database(s) 173B may be stored in a single physical datastorage device or across multiple data storage devices. The datahistorian application(s) 173A, the data historian database(s) 173B, anduser interfaces thereto (not shown in FIG. 2) collectively form a datahistorian system 173.

In some configurations, the process control system 100 includes one ormore other wireless access points 174 that communicate with otherdevices using other wireless protocols, such as IEEE 802.11-compliantwireless local area network protocols, mobile communication protocolssuch as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), LTE(Long Term Evolution) or other ITU-R (International TelecommunicationUnion Radiocommunication Sector) compatible protocols, short-wavelengthradio communications such as near field communications (NFC) orBluetooth, and/or other wireless communication protocols. Typically,such wireless access point(s) 174 allow handheld or other portablecomputing devices (e.g., user interface devices 175) to communicate overa respective wireless process control communication network that isdifferent from the wireless network 170 and that supports a differentwireless protocol than the wireless network 170. For example, a wirelessor portable user interface device 175 may be a mobile workstation ordiagnostic test equipment that is utilized by an operator within theprocess plant 100 (e.g., an instance of one of the operator workstations171). In some scenarios, in addition to portable computing devices, oneor more process control devices (e.g., controller 111, field devices115-122, wireless devices 135, 140-158, etc.) also communicate using thewireless protocol supported by the wireless access point(s) 174.

It is noted that although FIG. 2 only illustrates a single processcontroller 111, and a particular number of field devices 115-122 and140-146, wireless gateways 35, wireless adaptors 152, access points 155,routers 1158, and wireless process control communications networks 170included in the example process plant 100, this is only an illustrativeand non-limiting embodiment. For example, any number of controllers 111may be included in the process control plant or system 100, and any ofthe controllers 111 may communicate with any number of wired or wirelessdevices and networks 115-122, 140-146, 135, 152, 155, 158 and 170 tocontrol a process in the plant 100.

Referring now back to FIG. 1, the objects mapped using AR mobile devices(e.g., AR mobile device 12) may include some or all of the controller111, the devices 115-122 and 140-158, the I/O cards 126, 128, thewireless gateway 135, and/or other devices and/or pieces of equipment inthe plant 100, such that their 3D positions within the plant 100 (andpossibly their relationships to each other, their avatars, etc.) arestored in the AR database 72. In some embodiments, the back-end server14 may be communicatively coupled to the backbone 110, and the otherserver(s) 18 may include, or be coupled to, the operator workstation(s)171, configuration system 172, data historian system 173, and/or othercomputing devices or systems of the process control environment 100.

The application(s) 19 run by the server(s) 18 may include one or moreDeltaV™ applications, diagnostics and maintenance applications, and/orother applications or software-based systems. The application(s) 19 maythus support node experiences that display run-time status and/ormeasurement data of field devices, provide run-time controls for fielddevices, display diagnostics/maintenance information for machinery, andso on. As just one example, HART® and/or Fieldbus information associatedwith various devices may be presented to the user of the AR mobiledevice 12. The experience provisioning unit 62 may launch and/orinterface with the appropriate application(s) 19 (e.g., via the backbone110) to gather the required display data, which is then forwarded to thenode experience module 46. The experience provisioning unit 62 may also,or instead, forward any user inputs that were received from the nodeexperience module 46 to the controller 111 to cause the appropriatefield devices to be controlled accordingly, etc.

Example 3D Map

It should be understood from the description of FIG. 1 above that the 3D“map” of the AR system 10 need not be a full model of the environment,and may include only 3D locations of nodes within that environment. Ahighly simplified example 3D map 200, containing only fourobjects/nodes, is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the z axis corresponds toelevation (e.g., above ground level). As discussed above, a landmarklocation 202 may provide a reference point for all other locations(e.g., node and user/AR device locations) within the environment.

In the example map 200, a first location 204 of a first object/node isslightly above (elevation-wise) the landmark location 202 at the offset{x1,y1,z1}, second and third locations 206, 208 of second and thirdobjects/nodes are a bit higher still at the offsets {x2,y2,z2} and{x3,y3,z3}, respectively, and a third location 210 of a thirdobject/node is higher still at the offset {x4,y4,z4}. Of course, in somescenarios, offsets in the x, y and/or z directions may be negative forcertain objects/nodes.

Within the map 200, a location 220 at {x5,y5,z5} corresponds to acurrent location of an AR mobile device, such as the AR mobile device 12of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 also depicts, in dashed lines, a field of view 222 ofthe AR mobile device, corresponding to a particular orientation of thedevice. The field of view 222 may be determined by the positioning andorientation module 44 of FIG. 1, for example, using sensor data from theIMU 26 (and possibly image data from the camera 26, e.g., with VIOtechnology) and a known azimuthal range/angle of the camera 26. Whilenot illustrated in FIG. 3, the positioning and orientation module 44 mayalso know the extent of the field of view 222 in the z direction, e.g.,such that the field of view 222 has a cone-like shape rather thanassuming infinite coverage in the z-direction.

In this example scenario, the objects at locations 206 and 208 arewithin the device's/user's current field of view 222, while the objectsat locations 204 and 210 are not. The experience provisioning unit 62 ofFIG. 1 may make this determination, for example, based on the nodepositions (as stored in AR database 72), the location 220 andorientation of the AR mobile device (as determined by the positioningand orientation module 44 and forwarded via web services interface 60),and the known or estimated characteristics of the field of view for thecamera 24. Based on the determination of which objects/nodes are withinthe field of view 222, the experience provisioning unit 62 may send datato the AR mobile device 12 indicating that a node marker (and/or aparticular node experience) is to be presented only for the objects atlocations 206 and 208. The node experience module 46 may process thatdata, and in response superimpose node markers and/or other informationat or near points on the display 22 that correspond to the locations 206and 208.

Example AR User Interfaces

A set of example user interfaces that may be superimposed on an ARdisplay (e.g., the display 22 of the AR mobile device 12 of FIG. 1) willnow be described in connection with FIGS. 4A through 4H. For ease ofexplanation, reference will also be made to the AR system 10 of FIG. 1,although the user interfaces shown may instead be used in other systems.For user interfaces where user selections may be made, the selection maybe made by the user looking directly at a specific menu option (e.g., ifthe user interfaces have a fixed position relative to the environment,rather than a fixed position relative to the center of the display 22).In other embodiments, the selection may be made by the user issuing anappropriate voice command, entering data on a keyboard or touch screen,or in another suitable manner.

Referring first to FIG. 4A, a user interface 200 enables the user toselect a particular “role,” as discussed above in connection withFIG. 1. The user interface 200 may be displayed to the user upon launchof the AR application 32, or at another suitable time. The ARapplication 32 may know the available roles a priori, or may be informedof the available roles by querying the back-end server 14 via webservices interface 60. Once a role is selected, the role identificationmodule 40 may send data indicative of the role to the back-end server 14via web services interface 60. The experience provisioning unit 62,alert generation unit 68, and/or other components of the back-end server14 may then utilize the selected role to determine appropriate nodes toaugment, appropriate types of experiences and/or content to provide forparticular nodes, and so on, as discussed above.

FIG. 4B depicts a user interface 220 that may act as a node marker foreach of some or all objects within the user's current field of view(subject to any other criteria, such as proximity or user role). Theexample user interface 220 includes an icon (circled “X”) and descriptor(“StatusWord”) that indicate a status of the object/node, a node name(e.g., a device identifier within a process control plant, such as“ESD-3,” etc.), a short description of the node (e.g., “emergencyshutdown switch,” etc.), and a vertical line leading from those piecesof information to a solid-fill circle at that bottom of the userinterface 220. The solid-fill circle (or other indicator) may be placedon the {x,y,z} location of the corresponding object within the user'sreal-world view, e.g., at the real-world {x,y,z} location that the user(or another user) focused upon when adding the node to the 3D map. Thetext and line may rotate as needed to stay aligned with the verticalaxis of the AR mobile device 12 and user, or may always align to thez-axis, for example.

The status icon and descriptor may indicate whether some action shouldbe taken with respect to the object, and/or whether some danger existswith respect to the object. For example, the circled “X” shown in FIG.4B may correspond to a status of “Critical,” the “!” in a triangle maycorrespond to a status of “Warning,” the “i” in a diamond may correspondto a status of “Advisory,” and no icon may correspond to a status of“Normal.” While FIG. 4B shows a range of possible status icons, it isunderstood that the user interface 220 only includes, for thisparticular embodiment and/or scenario, the circled “X” icon. The statusdepicted for a particular object/node, and the meaning of that status,may vary depending on the user's role.

The node marker (i.e., in FIG. 4B, the text, line, and solid-fillcircle) of the user interface 220 may scale in size with distance fromthe AR mobile device 12, such that nearer objects have larger nodemarkers and more distant objects have smaller node markers. In someembodiments, the user interface 220 includes more information, by way ofadditional text, additional graphics, and/or color-coding (e.g., redtext and line for “Critical” status, green text and line for “Normal”status, etc.), for example.

FIG. 4C depicts a user interface 240 that may appear after a user roleis selected at user interface 200, or at another suitable time. The “+”icon in the user interface 240 may be selected by the user to add a newnode to the 3D map, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 1. Thehelmet icon may be selected by the user to select a different role, andthe third icon may be selected by the user to manage certain settings,as discussed below. The rectangular box in the user interface 240 maydisplay system messages to the user. For example, the message box may beused to display alerts generated by the alert generation unit 68 and/orthe position-based alert module 52.

FIG. 4D depicts a user interface 260 that may appear if the user selectsthe settings icon in the user interface 240. As seen in FIG. 4D, theuser interface 260 enables the user to change the name or identifier ofthe AR mobile device 12, the landmark identifier, and a name or IPaddress of the back-end server 14. Some or all of these values may beused by the AR mobile device 12 when making web service calls to webservices interface 60, for example.

FIG. 4E depicts a simple user interface 280 that may appear if the userselects the “+” (add node) icon in the user interface 240. In thisexample, the user interface 280 is simply a reticle (e.g., in the centerof the user's display 22) that the user may center on any location inthe real-world environment simply by looking around (e.g., if the ARmobile device 12 is an AR helmet or goggles, or smart glasses), or byotherwise aiming the camera 24 of the AR mobile device 12 (e.g., if atablet or smartphone). The node creation module 48 of the AR application32 may require that the user confirm when the reticle is appropriatelyplaced (e.g., by issuing a voice command), or may assume appropriateplacement if the field of view of the camera 24 does not changesubstantially for some threshold period of time, etc.

FIG. 4F depicts a user interface 300 that may appear after the user haspositioned the reticle of the user interface 280, and after thepositioning and orientation module 44 has determined the necessaryposition and/or orientation information for placing the new object/node(e.g., the position of the AR mobile device 12, the orientation of thedevice 12, and the distance from the device 12 to the object). Theexample user interface 300 includes a text box for the user to enter anode name and/or node description. Alternatively, some or all of thisinformation may be provided by voice command (e.g., if the user selectsthe microphone icon). In other embodiments, the node name and/ordescription may be determined by processing an image of a portion of theobject using optical character recognition (OCR) technology. Forexample, the user may direct the camera 24 towards a tag or label thatis affixed to the object and includes a serial number, model number, orother identifier. The identifier may then be sent to the back-end server14 via web services interface 60 and cross-referenced with informationstored at the back-end server 14, or stored in another system ordatabase (e.g., one of the other server(s) 18), to determine the nodename and/or description.

FIG. 4G depicts a user interface 320 that may appear for a specificobject/node when the user has selected that object/node (e.g., byselecting the node marker of user interface 220). The user interface 320may be generated by the node experience module 46, based on dataindicative of available experiences for the node that is provided by theexperience provisioning unit 62 of the back-end server 14, for example.The example user interface 320 includes the node name and descriptionthat were shown on the node marker in the user interface 220, as well astwo rectangular areas. The solid-fill circle at the bottom of the userinterface 320 may remain at the same position on the object (within thereal-world view) that it was at in the user interface 220. A first,“working” area, shown as a blank rectangle in FIG. 4G, may showadditional information pertaining to the selected object/node, such asstatus information for the object, detailed alert information for theobject, and so on (e.g., depending upon the type of node experiencebeing provided and/or the user's role).

The user may select the desired type of node experience from the secondarea, listing those that are available for the node (and possibly, forthe user's role). As seen in FIG. 4G, in this example, available nodeexperiences include “More Info” (e.g., to provide additional types oftext-based information in the working area), “Connections” (e.g., toshow physical or logical connections to other objects/nodes, asdiscussed below in connection with FIG. 4H), “Info Link” (e.g., to show,in the working area, information from a “help” document, instructionalvideo, or other web page at a particular URL), “Child Objects” (e.g., toshow, in the working area, relationships with other objects/nodes thatare related as “children” of the selected object/node), “Process Values”(e.g., to show, in the working area, control process values obtainedfrom one of the other server(s) 18 and application(s) 19), and “WorkOrder” (e.g., to show, in the working area, text of a work orderassociated with the selected object/node).

FIG. 4H depicts a user interface 340 that may appear when the user hasselected the “Connections” icon in the user interface 320. For the userinterface 340, the node experience module 46 renders a line between the{x,y,z} position of the currently-selected object/node, and the {x,y,z}position of an object/node to which the currently-selected object/nodeis physically and/or logically connected (e.g., as discussed above inconnection with FIG. 1). The solid-fill circle at the bottom of the userinterface 340 may be at the former position, while the solid-fill circleat the top of the user interface 340 may be at the latter position. Ofcourse, the relative positions of the solid-fill circles may changedepending upon the scenario (e.g., the circle for the selectedobject/node may appear higher in the real-world view than the circle forthe connected object/node).

In the embodiment of FIG. 4H, the node experience module 46 renders theconnecting line in three segments: a first segment (starting at thecurrently-selected object/node) indicating the distance and directionalong the y-axis, a second segment (starting at the end of the firstsegment) indicating the distance and direction along the x-axis, and athird segment (starting at the end of the second segment) indicating thedistance and direction along the z-axis and ending at the connectedobject/node. The line segments may be color-coded, coded by line format(dashed, solid, etc.), and/or coded in other ways to provide additionalinformation (e.g., a red line to indicate a communications connectionthat is currently inoperative). In other embodiments, the connection maybe depicted in a different manner, such as a single line segment betweenthe objects/nodes (e.g., with the line getting wider or narrower toportray distance from the user). In various different embodiments,connections to multiple different objects/nodes can be shown in the userinterface 340, or the user may need to select each individual connectionfor which a visualization is desired.

Example AR Database

FIGS. 5A and 5B collectively depict a database structure 400 that may beutilized by the AR database 72 of FIG. 1 (e.g., when used in the processcontrol environment 100 of FIG. 2). In the database structure 400, eachbox represents a table that may be stored in the AR database 72, withthe top line of each box being the table name (e.g., “Nodes,”“NodeStatus,” etc.). The tables are linked using primary keys, each ofwhich is denoted in FIGS. 5A and 5B by a key icon and the letters “PK.”

The database structure 400 enables efficient cross-referencing of dataitems, and permits user and system updates without breaking existinglinks or requiring extensive updates. For example, using the “Node ID”primary key permits the user to change the “Node Name” for an existingnode without the need to update other, related tables. The “GetOPCDA”table in FIG. 5B may correspond to the “Process Values” node experiencedescribed above in connection with FIG. 4G.

Example Enhanced Virtual Vision

FIGS. 6 and 7 relate to embodiments in which an AR platform (e.g.,provided by the AR system 10 of FIG. 1) provides features that enhancethe “virtual vision” of the user. FIG. 6 depicts a specific scenario inwhich a “virtual x-ray vision” feature (discussed above in connectionwith FIG. 1) is used to “see” into a closed cabinet within a processcontrol environment (e.g., within the process control environment 100 ofFIG. 2), while FIGS. 7A and 7B depict a specific scenario in which an“avatar” (also discussed above in connection with FIG. 1) is providedfor a sensor/transmitter device that is in a limited access (e.g.,hard-to-reach or dangerous) area of the process control environment,and/or is distant from the user's current location.

Referring first to the example of FIG. 6, a closed (and possibly locked)cabinet 500 may contain a number of interior components (not seen inFIG. 6), such as I/O cards, circuit breakers, etc. When any of thecriteria discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 are satisfied (e.g.,the interior components being within a field of view of the AR mobiledevice 12 and within a threshold distance, and/or the cabinet 500 beingselected by the user, etc.), and if the cabinet 500 is determined tocontain obscured objects/nodes (also as discussed above, e.g., based ona known relationship between the cabinet and interior components, and/orby scanning a QR code, etc.), the vision enhancement module 50 of FIG. 1may superimpose a user interface 520 on the user's real-world view.

The user interface 520 includes a depiction 522 of the interiorcomponents. The depiction 522 may be an image of the actual componentswithin the cabinet 500, in their actual arrangement relative to eachother. In other embodiments, the depiction 522 includes hyper- orpseudo-realistic graphical representations of the components (e.g., 3Dmodels, 2D models, etc.), either individually or in a manner thatdepicts their relative arrangement within the cabinet 500. In eithercase, the depiction 522 may provide the user with an AR experiencesimilar to the experience he or she would have if viewing the actualinterior components.

The user interface 520 may be superimposed directly over the cabinet 500in the user's real-world view, and scaled appropriately so as to alignthe depiction 522 over the actual positions of the hidden interiorcomponents. Alternatively, the user interface 520 may be offset from thecabinet 500 in the user's real-world view, possibly connected by a lineor some other means.

The depiction 522 may or may not include node markers (e.g., similar tothe user interface 220 of FIG. 4B) for individual ones of the internalcomponents, to the extent that those components have previously beenmapped. Moreover, the user interface 520 may enable the user to selectvarious node experiences by selecting such a node marker, by selectingthe depiction 522 itself, or by issuing an appropriate voice command.The depiction 522 or user interface 520 may also include a control(e.g., an “X” in one corner) that the user can select to dismiss thedepiction 522 from his or her view, or a suitable voice command may beused.

Referring now to FIG. 7A, an direction indicator 550 includes adepiction of a particular object (here, a sensor/transmitter device)along with an arrow showing the general direction of the object relativeto the user's real-world view. The vision enhancement module 50 of FIG.1 may superimpose the direction indicator 550 over the user's real-worldview in response to any of the conditions described above (in connectionwith FIG. 1) with respect to avatars of distant and/or limited-accessobjects, for example. The depiction of the device in the exampledirection indicator 550 is a realistic model or image, though of courseother formats are also possible (e.g., an outline, animation, video,etc.).

If the user selects the direction indictor 550, the vision enhancementmodule 50 may superimpose an “avatar” 560 on the user's real-world view,as shown in FIG. 7B. While the avatar 560 shown in FIG. 7B is identicalto the depiction of the object in the direction indicator 550, in otherembodiments, the avatar 560 is more detailed and/or realistic than thedepiction (if any) in the direction indicator 550. Similar to thedepiction 522 of FIG. 6, the avatar 560 may provide the user with an ARexperience similar to what he or she would have if viewing the actualobject (here, sensor/transmitter device) in close proximity. Indeed, asnoted above, the virtual x-ray vision feature of FIG. 6 may simply be aspecial case of the vision enhancement shown in FIG. 7B, with thedepiction 522 of FIG. 6 being a collection of avatars for the variouscomponents enclosed within the cabinet 510.

If the user selects the avatar 560 or issues an appropriate voicecommand, the vision enhancement module 50 may superimpose a userinterface 570 near to the avatar 560 within the user's real-world view.Alternatively, the user interface 570 may be presented with the avatar560 by default, without requiring any user selection of the avatar 560or any voice command. The example user interface 570 of FIG. 7Bcorresponds to a node experience that provides process values (here,sensor readings), and permits user control of the device (here, byinitiating a calibration process). To enable this node experience, theexperience provisioning unit 62 of FIG. 1 may communicate with one ormore of the application(s) 19 run by the other server(s) 18, asdiscussed above. For example, the experience provisioning unit 62 maycause a process control application to launch, or interface with anexecuting process control application using an API, etc.

Example 3D Mapping Method

FIG. 8 depicts an example method 600 for mapping a real-world processcontrol environment (e.g., process control environment 100 of FIG. 2)using a mobile device. The method 600 may be performed using the ARmobile device 12 of FIG. 1, for example, or another suitable mobiledevice. In some embodiments, a mobile device without AR capability maybe used.

At block 602, the mobile device is registered at a reference or“landmark” location in the process control environment. The registrationmay include using a camera of the mobile device (e.g., camera 24 ofFIG. 1) to scan a visual representation of a code (e.g., a QR code orother image) located at the reference location. The code may be on awall (e.g., on a plate or poster), for example.

At block 604, at least an IMU of the mobile device (e.g., the IMU 26 ofFIG. 1) is used to track 3D positions of the mobile device relative tothe reference location, and to track orientations of the mobile device,as the mobile device is moved through the process control environment bythe user. Block 604 may continue indefinitely (e.g., simultaneously withblocks 606 through 610), until the user ends the AR experience (e.g., bypowering down the mobile device, or closing an application running onthe mobile device, etc.). The tracking at block 604 may also use themobile device camera. For example, VIO technology may be used to trackthe position and orientation of the mobile device.

At block 606, a user input, indicating that a new node is to be added toa 3D map of the process control environment, is detected at the mobiledevice. The user input may be a user voice command (e.g., “Add Node”),or a user selection of a menu option (e.g., by focusing the mobiledevice camera on a particular location, or entering data on a keyboardor touch screen), for example.

At block 608, a 3D position of a real-world object (relative to thereference location) is determined, or caused to be determined, based atleast on a tracked 3D position of the mobile device and a trackedorientation of the mobile device. In one embodiment, block 608 includescapturing an image of a real-world object using the mobile device'scamera (e.g., at the time the user input was entered, or shortlythereafter). The distance between the mobile device and the object maythen be determined from the image, at least by processing the cameraimage using a depth sensing technique. The 3D position may then bedetermined, or caused to be determined, based on the tracked 3D positionand orientation of the mobile device, as well as the determineddistance.

In some embodiments, the 3D position of the object is directlydetermined at block 608 by the device, system, etc., that performs themethod 600. In other embodiments, the device, system, etc., thatperforms the method 600 causes another device, system, etc., todetermine the 3D position of the object, e.g., by making a request via aweb services interface (e.g., web services interface 60 of FIG. 1).

At block 610, a node database or library is caused to add the new nodeto the 3D map, at least by causing the 3D position of the object to bestored in association with the new node. Block 610 may include using aweb services interface to cause a remote server (e.g., back-end server14 of FIG. 1) to store at least the 3D position of the new node in thenode database (e.g., AR database 72 of FIG. 1), for example.

The method 600 may include one or more blocks not shown in FIG. 8. Forexample, the method 600 may include a block in which another user input(e.g., voice command, keyboard entry, etc.) is received at the mobiledevice, with the user input indicating an identifier (e.g., name) and/ordescription of the new node. In such an embodiment, block 610 mayfurther include causing the identifier and/or description of the newnode to be stored in association with the new node, within the nodedatabase.

As another example, the method 600 may include additional blockscorresponding to later operations of a different mobile device (or lateroperations by the same mobile device performing the blocks 602 through610), which navigates an area of the process control environment afterthe new node has been added to the 3D map. In a first block, forexample, a second mobile device (e.g., AR mobile device 12 or a similardevice) may be registered at the reference location. Thereafter, 3Dpositions of the second mobile device (relative to the referencelocation) and orientation of the second mobile device may be trackedusing at least an IMU of the second mobile device (e.g., using VIOtechnology). A triggering condition may then be detected, by determining(e.g., based on a tracked orientation of the second mobile device) thatthe object is within an area inside a field of view of a camera of thesecond mobile device, and/or determining (e.g., based on a trackedposition of the second mobile device), that the physical object isproximate to the second mobile device, for example. In response todetecting the triggering condition, digital information associated withthe new node may be superimposed on a real-world view seen on or througha display of the second mobile device (e.g., a node marker, or inaccordance with any node experience discussed above).

Example Method for Providing Virtual X-Ray Vision

FIG. 9 depicts an example method 620 for providing virtual enhancedvision (e.g., virtual “x-ray vision”) to a user of an AR mobile devicein a real-world process control environment (e.g., the process controlenvironment 100 of FIG. 2). The method 620 may be performed by one ormore processors of a computing system or device, such as the back-endserver 14 of FIG. 1, and/or an AR mobile device such as the AR mobiledevice 12 of FIG. 1, for example.

At block 622, it is determined that a particular node (“first node”),associated with a map of the process control environment, corresponds toa particular real-world object (“first object”) that is currently withinthe field of view of a camera of the AR mobile device (e.g., camera 24of FIG. 1). The first object may be any device shown or described inconnection with FIG. 2, for example, or any other physical thing that isat least partially opaque. In some embodiments, the first object is anenclosure, such as a cabinet configured to contain a number of smallerdevices or components.

In some embodiments, block 622 includes detecting a current orientationof the AR mobile device, and determining, based on the currentorientation of the AR mobile device, and further based on the positionof the first node as indicated by the map, that the first object iscurrently within the field of view of the camera. Block 622 may alsoinclude determining that the first object is within some thresholddistance of the AR mobile device (e.g., 10 meters, 50 meters, etc.)based on the current position of the AR mobile device and the first nodeposition.

At block 624, a specific relationship, between the first node and one ormore other nodes that are also associated with the map, is determined.The relationship indicates (explicitly or implicitly) that one or moreother real-world objects, corresponding to the one or more other nodes,is/are at least partially obscured by the first object. For example, anode database (e.g., AR database 72, or a portion thereof) may storedata indicating that the first node corresponds to a cabinet or otherenclosure that contains the object(s) corresponding to the other node(s)(e.g., controllers, I/O cards, switches, etc.), and block 624 mayinclude accessing the node database directly (e.g., in a local memory)or via another computing system. In some embodiments, the first objectis marked with a QR code or other visual code, and block 624 includesboth scanning the code to determine a node identifier, and using thenode identifier to determine the relationship (e.g., by using theidentifier as a key to a database).

At block 626, one or more digital models or digital images are retrievedfrom memory (e.g., a local or remote persistent memory), with themodel(s) or image(s) depicting the object(s) that is/are at leastpartially obscured by the first object. For example, one or morehyper-realistic or pseudo-realistic 3D models, 2D models, animatedmodels, digital images, or digital video of the object(s) may beretrieved from the memory.

At block 628, a display of the AR mobile device (e.g., the display 22 ofFIG. 1) is caused to present the retrieved model(s) or image(s) to theuser while the first object is still in the field of view of the camera.For example, the model(s) or image(s) may be superimposed on areal-world view that is presented to the user on the display or seen bythe user through the display. Block 628 may include transmitting atleast some of the display content, and/or transmitting displayinstructions, to the AR mobile device (e.g., via web services interface60 of FIG. 1), for example.

The method 620 may include one or more blocks not shown in FIG. 9. Forexample, the method 620 may include a block in which one or more nodeexperiences are presented to the user for the obscured objects (e.g.,initially with the model(s) or image(s), or in response to a furtheraction, such as a user selection of the model or image of a particularobscured object).

Example Method for Visualizing Limited-Access Objects

FIG. 10 depicts an example method 640 for facilitating interactionbetween a user of an AR mobile device and a real-world object (“firstobject”) that may be in a limited-access (e.g., dangerous, barricaded,etc.) area of a process control environment (e.g., the process controlenvironment 100 of FIG. 2). The method 640 may be performed by one ormore processors of a computing system or device, such as the back-endserver 14 of FIG. 1, and/or an AR mobile device such as the AR mobiledevice 12 of FIG. 1, for example.

At block 642, a display of the AR mobile device (e.g., the display 22 ofFIG. 1) is caused, as the user moves through the process controlenvironment, to superimpose digital information on portions of theenvironment that are within the field of view of a camera of the ARmobile device (e.g., the camera 24 of FIG. 1). The superimposedinformation is associated with nodes in a map (e.g., 3D map) of theprocess control environment, with the nodes corresponding to otherreal-world objects in the environment. Block 642 may includetransmitting at least some of the display content, and/or transmittingdisplay instructions, to the AR mobile device (e.g., via web servicesinterface 60 of FIG. 1), for example.

At block 644, the display of the AR mobile device is caused to indicatea direction to the first object while the first object is not within thefield of view of the camera. The indication may comprise text, an arrow,a line, and/or an animation, for example. Similar to block 642, block644 may include transmitting at least some of the display content,and/or transmitting display instructions, to the AR mobile device (e.g.,via web services interface 60 of FIG. 1), for example.

At block 646, after detecting a user input that was made via the ARmobile device and indicates selection of the first object (e.g., a voicecommand requesting a user interface for the first object), the displayis caused to superimpose, on a portion of the process controlenvironment that is currently within the field of view but does notinclude the first object, a digital model or image of the first object(i.e., an “avatar” of the first object), as well as a user interface forthe first object. The avatar may be a hyper-realistic orpseudo-realistic 3D model, 2D model, animated model, digital image, ordigital video of the object, for example. The user interface may includeone or more virtual controls enabling user control of the first object(e.g., to calibrate the first object, set operational parameters of thefirst object, etc.), and/or one or more displays presenting informationassociated with status (e.g., diagnostic status, maintenance status,operational status, etc.), settings, and/or outputs (e.g., sensorreadings, etc.) of the first object. In some embodiments, the userinterface is not presented at the same time as the avatar, and insteadappears (along with the avatar) in response to a user selection of theavatar or voice command.

In some embodiments, the indication of direction at block 644 occursbefore detecting the user input indicating selection of the first object(i.e., the sequence shown in FIG. 10). In some such embodiments, thedirection indicator (e.g., an arrow pointing towards an off-display areacontaining the first object) may be generated and displayed in responseto detecting (1) that the first object is within a threshold distance ofthe AR mobile device, and (2) that the first object is not currentlywithin the field of view of the camera. Other suitable triggers orcriteria for the direction indicator are also possible. For example, theindicator may only be provided to users having a certain user role thatis relevant to the first object.

In other embodiments, the indication of direction instead occurs afterdetecting the user input that had indicated the selection of the firstobject. For example, the user may issue a voice command requesting thata user interface be retrieved for the first object (e.g., a user“search” for the first object), after which the direction indicator (andpossibly avatar) is superimposed on the user's real-world view.

The digital model or image, whether displayed with the directionindicator and/or at a subsequent stage, may be retrieved from a databaseusing a web services interface (e.g., from the AR database 72 of FIG. 1using the web services interface 60).

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

When implemented in software, any of the applications and functionsdescribed herein may be stored as instructions in any tangible,non-transitory computer readable memory such as on a magnetic disk, alaser disk, solid state memory device, molecular memory storage device,or other storage medium, in a RAM or ROM of a computer or processor,etc. Although the example systems disclosed herein are disclosed asincluding, among other components, software and/or firmware executed onhardware, it should be noted that such systems are merely illustrativeand should not be considered as limiting. For example, it iscontemplated that any or all of these hardware, software, and firmwarecomponents could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively insoftware, or in any combination of hardware and software. Accordingly,while the example systems described herein are described as beingimplemented in software executed on a processor of one or more computerdevices, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciatethat the examples provided are not the only way to implement suchsystems.

While the present invention has been described with reference tospecific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not tobe limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to thedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of mapping a real-world process control environment using a mobile device, the method comprising: registering the mobile device at a reference location in the process control environment; tracking, using at least an inertial measurement unit of the mobile device, (i) positions of the mobile device relative to the reference location, and (ii) orientations of the mobile device; detecting, at the mobile device, a user input indicating that a new node is to be added to a three-dimensional (3D) map of the process control environment; determining a 3D position of a real-world object relative to the reference location, or causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, based at least on (i) a tracked position of the mobile device and (ii) a tracked orientation of the mobile device; and causing a node database to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment, at least by causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be stored in association with the new node.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the mobile device at the reference location includes: using a camera of the mobile device to scan a visual representation of a code, the visual representation being located at the reference location.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein using a camera of the mobile device to scan a visual representation of a code includes: using the camera of the mobile device to scan a QR code located at the reference location.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the positions of the mobile device and the orientations of the mobile device includes: tracking the positions of the mobile device and the orientations of the mobile device using the inertial measurement unit and a camera of the mobile device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the positions of the mobile device includes: tracking 3D positions of the mobile device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a user input indicating that a new node is to be added to the 3D map includes: detecting a voice command, a keyboard entry, or a touch screen entry.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the 3D position of the real-world object, or causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, includes: capturing an image of the real-world object using a camera of the mobile device; determining a distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, at least by processing the image of the real-world object using a depth sensing technique; and determining the 3D position of the real-world object, or causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, based at least on (i) the tracked position of the mobile device, (ii) the distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, and (iii) the tracked orientation of the mobile device.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the mobile device, a user input indicating an identifier, and/or a description, of the new node, wherein causing the node database to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment further includes causing the identifier and/or the description of the new node to be stored in association with the new node.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is an augmented reality (AR) mobile device that superimposes digital information on a real-world view presented via a display of the AR mobile device.
 10. A system for mapping a real-world process control environment, the system comprising: a server; and a mobile device comprising an inertial measurement unit, the mobile device being configured to register at a reference location in the process control environment, track, using at least the inertial measurement unit, (i) positions of the mobile device relative to the reference location, and (ii) orientations of the mobile device, and detect a user input indicating that a new node is to be added to a three-dimensional (3D) map of the process control environment, wherein either the mobile device or the server is configured to determine a 3D position of a real-world object relative to the reference location based on (i) a tracked position of the mobile device and (ii) a tracked orientation of the mobile device, and wherein the server is configured to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment to a node database that stores the 3D position of the real-world object in association with the new node.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein: the mobile device further comprises a camera; and the mobile device is configured to register at the reference location at least by using the camera to scan a visual representation of a code, the visual representation being located at the reference location.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is configured to detect a user input indicating that a new node is to be added to the 3D map at least by: detecting a voice command, a keyboard entry, or a touch screen entry.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein: the mobile device further comprises a camera; the mobile device is configured to capture an image of the real-world object using the camera; and the mobile device or the server is configured to determine a distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, at least by processing the image of the real-world object using a depth sensing technique; and the mobile device or the server is configured to determine the 3D position of the real-world object based at least on (i) the tracked position of the mobile device, (ii) the distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, and (iii) the tracked orientation of the mobile device.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is an augmented reality (AR) mobile device that further comprises a display that superimposes digital information on real-world views.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein tracking the positions of the mobile device includes: tracking 3D positions of the mobile device.
 16. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: register a mobile device at a reference location in a process control environment; track, using at least an inertial measurement unit of the mobile device, (i) positions of the mobile device relative to the reference location, and (ii) orientations of the mobile device; detect, at the mobile device, a user input indicating that a new node is to be added to a 3D map of the process control environment; determine a 3D position of a real-world object relative to the reference location, or cause the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, based at least on (i) a tracked position of the mobile device and (ii) a tracked orientation of the mobile device; and cause a node database to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment, at least by causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be stored in association with the new node.
 17. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein registering the mobile device at the reference location includes: using a camera of the mobile device to scan a visual representation of a code, the visual representation being located at the reference location.
 18. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein using a camera of the mobile device to scan a visual representation of a code includes: using the camera of the mobile device to scan a QR code located at the reference location.
 19. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein tracking the positions of the mobile device and the orientations of the mobile device includes: tracking the positions of the mobile device and the orientations of the mobile device using the inertial measurement unit and a camera of the mobile device.
 20. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein determining the 3D position of the real-world object, or causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, includes: capturing an image of the real-world object using a camera of the mobile device; determining a distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, at least by processing the image of the real-world object using a depth sensing technique; and determining the 3D position of the real-world object, or causing the 3D position of the real-world object to be determined, based at least on (i) the tracked position of the mobile device, (ii) the distance between the mobile device and the real-world object, and (iii) the tracked orientation of the mobile device.
 21. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: receive, at the mobile device, a user input indicating an identifier, and/or a description, of the new node, wherein causing the node database to add the new node to the 3D map of the process control environment further includes causing the identifier and/or the description of the new node to be stored in association with the new node.
 22. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is an augmented reality (AR) mobile device that superimposes digital information on a real-world view presented via a display of the AR mobile device.
 23. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein tracking the positions of the mobile device includes: tracking 3D positions of the mobile device. 